she said the four pillars of Nehruvianism — democratic institution-building, staunch secularism, socialist economics and a foreign policy of non-alignment — were integral to a vision of Indianness.

Smarting under the crushing electoral defeat, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Tuesday said “staunch secularism” and “socialist economics” — espoused by Jawaharlal Nehru — remained at the core of the party’s beliefs even though these values are being “fundamentally challenged” by some in the “prevailing political climate”. She, however, said the Congress was not stuck in a “time-warp”.

Talking about Nehru’s values at a seminar to mark his 50th death anniversary, she said the four pillars of Nehruvianism — democratic institution-building, staunch secularism, socialist economics and a foreign policy of non-alignment — were integral to a vision of Indianness. “….That is fundamentally challenged by some in the prevailing political climate, but which remain at the core of our party’s beliefs.”

“I am not suggesting that the Indian National Congress is stuck in a time-warp and merely reiterating the conventional wisdom of fifty years ago. Rather, Nehru himself, as a man with an open and questioning mind, would have evolved with the times, even while remaining anchored to his core beliefs,” she said.